Yarn guide and crimper for textile machines



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3,tl67,48ti YARN GUIDE AND CRIMPER FGR TEXTILE MAIIHINES John Cocker, III, Gastonia, Nil, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Spunize Company of America, Incorporated, Farmington, Conm, a corporation of Connecrent Filed Sept. 18, 1957, Ser. No. 634,802 15 Claims. (Cl. 23-1) This invention relates to textile machines and to yarn guiding and crimping apparatus. The invention more particularly relates to yarn guiding apparatus for precisely, adjustably, and controllably guiding a plurality of yarns to a crimper, warper or the like, and to crimping apparatus for uniformly crimping a plurality of yarns.

In crimping apparatus it is not unusual to feed ninety yarns to the bight of a pair of crimp rolls which are only six inches long. When entering the crimp rolls the yarns are circular in cross section and the rolls flatten them into a more or less oval shape.

Since there are so many yarns in a rather limited space, the yarns must each be spaced uniformly from one another so that they do not overlap when they are flattened by the crimp rolls.

It is important that the yarns be flattened uniformly. In order to insure this uniformity of shape, the crimp rolls are limited in their length. The longer the crimp rolls are, the greater is their tendency to bow in the middle. Crimp rolls are supported at each end and are urged together with consider-able force, the force being applied at the ends, so that this bowing tends to occur.

Previously proposed crimp rolls have been of large diameter and are expensive to manufacture and diflicult to machine to precise tolerances.

Another problem encountered has been the wandering of smaller size yarns in the spaces of previously proposed reeds which guide the yarns to the crimp rolls.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to overcome the aforementioned difficulties. Another object is to provide crimp roll surfaces that are precisely parallel and produce uniform crimping or flattening of the yarns from one end to the other of the crimp rolls. Another object is to provide crimp rolls that are inexpensive to manufacture. Another object is to provide a combination feeding mechanism and crimp mechanism that cooperates to give uniformly positioned and flattened yarns. Another object is to provide apparatus for positively positioning multiples of uniform yarns, the yarns in one multiple being of a different size than the yarns in another multiple. Another object is to provide simple and reliable leasing mechanism by which the leasing is accomplished quickly and easily just prior to the entry of the yarns between the crimp rolls.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will further become apparent hereinafter and in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a view in top plan of a yarn guide and crimper constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 represents a view in side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 represents a view in section taken as indicated by the lines and arrows IIIIII which appear in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 represents a view in section taken as indicated by the lines and arrows IVIV which appear in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 5-8 represent fragmentary views showing successive sequential steps in effecting a leasing operation in accordance with this invention;

- FIG. 9 represents a fragmentary view showing a yarn guide reed;

FIG. 10 represents a fragmentary view in top elevation of the yarn guide reed of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 represents a fragmentary view in side elevation 3,967,439 Patented Dec. 11, I962 taken as indicated by the lines and arrows XI-XI which appear in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 represents a view in section taken as indicated by the lines and arrows XIIXII which appear in FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 represents a view in top plan of another embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 14 represents a view in side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 represents a right end view of the apparatus of FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 represents a View similar to FIG. 9 of the yarn guide and lease reed of this embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 17 represents a view in section taken as indicated by the lines and arrows XVIIXVII of FIG. 1-6;

FIG. 18 represents a view in top plan of the reed of FIG. 16; 1

FIG. 19 represents a fragmentary view in section taken as indicated by the lines and arrows XIX-XIX which appear in FIG. 16;

FIG. 20 represents a view in top plan of another embodirnent of the invention and shows another yarn guide reed;

FIG. 21 represents a view in front elevation of the reed of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 represents an enlarged plan view partly in section of the reed of FIG. 20;

FIG. 23 represents a view in section taken as indicated by the lines and arrows XXIII-XXIII which appear in FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 represents a view in section taken as indicated by the lines and arrows XXIV-XXIV which appear in FIG. 22;

FIG. 25 represents a view in section taken as indicated by the lines and arrows XXVXXV which appear in FIG. 22 but with the fins of the reed in a slanted position;

FIG. 26 represents another embodiment of the invention in plan view, partly in section, and shows another yarn guide reed;

FIG. 27 represents a view in section taken as indicated by the lines and arrows XXVII-XXVII which appear in FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 represents a view in section taken as indicated by the lines and arrows XXVIII-XXVIII which appear in FIG. 26;

FIG. 29 represents a view similar to FIG. 28 except that the fins have been rotated to a slanted position;

FIG. 30 represents a view of the notched rail element of the reed of FIGS. 26-29;

FIG. 31 represents a View in top plan of another embodiment of the invention and shows another yarn guide reed;

FIG. 32 represents a view in cross section taken as indicated by the lines and arrows XXXII-XXXII which appear in FIG. 31;

FIG. 33 represents a view in top plan of the reed of FIG. 31 but with the reed turned a quarter of a turn;

FIG. 34 represents a view in section taken as indicated by the lines and arrows XXXIV-XXXIV which appear in FIG. 33; I

FIG. 35 represents a view in top plan of another embodiment of a yarn guide reed;

FIG. 36 represents a view in section of the reed of FIG. 35;

FIG. 37 represents a view in top plan of the reed of FIG. 35 but with the reed turned a quarter of a turn;

FIG. 38 represents a view in section of the reed of FIG. 37;

FIG. 39 represents a view in top plan of another embodiment of a yarn guide reed;

FIG. 40 represents a view in section of the reed of FIG. 39; H A

FIGURE 41 represents a view in top plan of the reed of FIG. 39 with the reed turned a quarter of a turn;

FIG. 42 represents a view in section of the reed of FIG. 41;

FIG. 43 shows a fragmentary view of a disk type yarn guide reed similar to that shown in FIGS. 3142 and illustrates its position relative to the crimp rolls and the back-up rolls.

FIG. 44 represents a view in top plan of another yarn guide reed;

FIG. 45 represents a view in section of the reed of FIG. 44;

FIG. 46 represents a View similar to FIG. 45 of a reed having teeth of a different conformation;

FIG. 47 represents a view in top plan of another yarn guide reed;

FIG. 48 represents a view in section of the reed of FIG. 47;

FIG. 49 represents a view in top plan of another yarn guide reed;

FIG. 50 represents a view in section of the reed of FIG. 49;

FIGS. 51 and 52 represent views in front elevation of the reed of FIG. 49, and illustrate the operation of the reed; and

FIG. 53 represents a view similar to FIG. 50 of a reed having teeth of a different conformation.

Although specific terms are used for clarity in the following description, these terms are intended to refer only to the structure shown in the drawings and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

Turning now to the specific embodiments of the invention selected for illustration in the drawings, and referring more particularly to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, the numerals 41 and 42 designate a pair of horizontally arranged crimp rolls by which yarns to be crimped are drawn from supplies (not shown) to a collecting eye board 43 and an ordinary spacing reed 44 and delivered over a guide bar 45 to the crimping means. Delivery is made through yarn lease reed 46 and yarn guide reed 47.

The crimping means includes crimp rolls 41, 42, two pairs of back-up rolls 51, 52 and 53, 54, spring 55, hand wheel 56, and stufiing box 57 with its door 58 and spring latch 61.

The shafts 62, 63 of the crimping rolls 41 and 42 are journaled in bearings 64, 65, which are independently and slideably mounted on V guides (FIG. 4), and the shafts 66, 67 of back-up rolls 53, 54 are journaled in bearings 68 which are fixed in the laterally spaced longitudinal side frames 71 upstanding from a bed plate 72. The shafts 73, 74 of rolls 51, 52 are journaled in hearing blocks 75a and 75b which are slidea'ble along horizontal guide runners on strips 80 provided on bed plate 72 and side frames 71. The bearings 75a and 75b for the rolls 51, 52 are relatively slideable in their V guide and strip connection 75c (FIG. 4). Back-up rolls 51, 52 are yieldingly and independently urged toward crimp roll 41 by spring 55 which bears against the central pivot pin 76 between a pair of vertical arms 77 which are pivotally connected to transverse bars 79 which connect the rearward projections 78a of bearings 75a and the projections 79b of the lower bearings 75b. The pressure of spring 55 is regulated by a screw 81 thread edly engaged in a lug 82 on the bed plate 72. Screw 81 is provided at its outer end with the hand wheel 56.

As shown in FIG. 1, shaft 63 of crimp roll 42 is arranged to be positively driven through a sprocket wheel 83 and chain 84 from a motor and variable speed drive (not shown). Through a pair of intermeshing spur gears 85, 86, shaft 63 communicates motion to shaft 62 and crimp rolls 41, 42 are driven in unison but in opposite directions.

The leasing mechanism includes the lease reed 46 which comprises a plurality of fins 87 which are supported from a transverse bar 88. The spaces or dents 91 between fins S7 admit the yarns. Alternate dents 91 are provided with stop blocks 92, 93. Lease reed 46 is supported by arms 94 which are fixedly connected to a rotatable transverse shaft 95. Shaft 95 is supported in bearing blocks 96 and a handle 97 is provided for rotating shaft 95. To keep lease reed 46 in its operative Or in its in-operative position, there are provided disks 95 with angularly spaced indentations 101, 102 for selective engagement by spring plungers 193 which are mounted in the bearing blocks 96.

The guide bar 45 is positioned over the nip of crimp rolls 41, 42 and is supported by an arm 106 which extends from a short transverse shaft 107 rotatably supported in a bearing bracket 108 depending from bed plate 72 of the machine. For ease of manipulation, arm 1116 is provided with a handle 111. Arm 196 is yieldingly held in its normal position (which is shown in FIG. 2) by engagement of a spring plunger 112 within an indentation 113 of a sector 114 which is secured to transverse shaft 107. Sector 114 is also provided with two other indentations 115, 116.

As shown in FIG. 4, the guide reed 47 is fixed on rotatable studs 117 mounted in bearing brackets 118. The studs have slotted collars at their inner ends on which the mounting plate 119 of the guide reed 47 is fastened by screws 120. Reeds for different deniers are easily exchanged. Studs 117 are rotated by arm 121 and handle 122. A spring plunger 123 (FIG. 4) and indentations on bracket 118 hold the guide reed in operative or non-operative position. The yarn guide reed 47 IS positioned between rolls 51 .and 53 and above the nip 1114 of crimp rolls 41, 42 (see FIGS. 912). Reed 47 comprises the mounting plate 119 in which are anchored fins 124. Fins 124 have a slanted portion 125 and a vertical portion 126. The yarns pass through the dents 127 when reed 47 is in operative position, and pass through the dents 128 when reed 47 is returning to operative position from its non-operative position. The non-operative posltion is shown in dot-dash lines in FIG. 9. Dents 128 are wider than dents 127 and make easier the return of reed 47 to operative position since the yarns make their initial entrance to reed 47 through the wider dents 128.

FIG. 11 shows an enlarged fragmentary view of reed 47 and it will be noted that the lower edges of slanted portion 125 of fins 124 make contact with the yarns to positively position and uniformly space them. FIG. 12 also illustrates this uniform spacing and compares the non-uniform spacing of the yarns above reed 47 with the uniform spacing of yarns below reed 47.

In operation, guide bar 45, lease reed 46, and guide reed 47 are normally positioned as shown in FIG. 2. So positioned, the yarns are directed vertically downward to the rolls 41 and 42 and they are maintained in a uniformly spaced apart condition by the guide reed 47. When a lease is to be made, the machine is stopped and the operation is as shown in FIGS. 5-8. First, guide bar 45, lease reed 46, and guide reed 47 are swung to the positions shown in FIG. 5. Guide bar 45 and reed 46 are latched in this position by the engagement of plunger 112 and 163 in indentations 116 and 192, respectively. This causes segments of the yarn Y to move laterally leftward since they are engaged by stops 93 while the alternate yarns Y run in a straight line from guide bar 45 to the nip of the crimp rolls. This forms a shed S through which a lease thread T is inserted. With this accomplished, guide bar 45 is swung counter-clockwise through the position of FIG. 6 until stopped in the position of FIG. 7 by the engagement of spring plunger 112 with indentation in sector 114. As guide bar 45 is swung, the yarns Y are displaced leftward and the yarns- Y' are arrested by the stops 92. This forms a reverse; shed S through which a second leasing thread T is intro-. duced as shown in FIG. 7. Finally, guide bar 45 is restored to the normal position of FIGS. 8 and 2, guidereecl 47 is swung to the normal position of FIG. 8, and

lease reed 46 is returned to the normal position of FIG. 2. Then the machine is restarted to proceed with the crimping yarn as before.

FIGS. 13-15 show another embodiment of the invention which is similar to that shown in the previous figures except that a combined yarn guide and lease reed is substituted for the separate guide and lease reeds. Yarn guide and lease reed 131 has its details of construction shown on a larger scale in FIGS. 16-19. Mounting bar 132 holds slanted fins 133 and the yarns are positioncd in the dents 134 between the fins. Stop blocks 135 and 136 are provided in alternate dents. Yarn guide and lease reed 131 performs both the yarn guiding function and the leasing function.

FIGS. -25 show a yarn guide reed 137 which is controllable and adjustable to uniformly space and position the yarns and guide them to the nip of the rolls. The spacing between fins is variable in reed 137 in order to accommodate different size yarns.

Yarn guide reed 137 includes fins 138 which have at one end a pivot pin 141 and at the other a pivot pin 142 and gear 143. Pins 141, 142 are rotatably mounted in side members 144, 145 of frame 146. Fins 138 are positioned so that the gears 143 of alternate fins appear on each side of frame 146. Positioned above and in contact with gears 143 are racks 147, 148 which are joined by arm 151 to adjustable screw head 152 which is mounted on threaded rod 153 that extends from frame 146. Housing 154 provides an enclosure for racks 147, 148.

The operation of yarn guide reed 137 is as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25. With the fins vertical as shown in FIG. 24 the irregularly spaced yarns are received by the reed and passed through it without changing the spacing. To uniformly space the yarns, screw head 152 is rotated to move racks 147, 148 which rotate gears 143 and thus position fins 138 in a slant position as shown in FIG. 25. With the fins 138 slanted, the irregularly spaced yarns are contacted by the lower edge of the fins and the yarns leave the reed in a uniformly spaced apart position.

FIGS. 26-30 show another yarn guide reed 155. This reed is of less expensive construction than reed 137 and is provided with rectangularly shaped fins 156 with a frame 157 having side members 158, 161, with notched rails 162, 163 which are fixedly mounted in side members 158, 161, and with a notched rail 164 which is slideably mounted in side member 158. The notches 165 of rails 162, 163 form a pivot about which fins 156 are rotatable. This rotation is effective by sliding rail 164 to the desired position. Slide rail 164 is provided with a locking bracket 166 which has a slot 167 in which is positioned a bolt 168 that is mounted on frame 157. A clamp nut 169 is provided which is tightened down to lock the bracket 166 against the top of frame 157. The operation of reed 155 is shown in FIGS. 28 and 29.

FIGS. 31-34 show another yarn guide reed 171 which is a disk type reed. This reed is provided with a shaft 172 which has rigidly fastened thereto a number of parallel uniformly spaced circular disks 173. Shaft 172 is mounted in a bearing 174 and a split bearing 175, and is positioned longitudinally by set collars 175. Sh ft 172 and disks 173 are rotatable by the knurled knob 177. FIGS. 31 and 32 show the position of reed 171 when it is set for the heavy denier yarn 178. FIGS. 33 and 34 show the same reed 172 after it has been rotated one quarter of a turn to accommodate the smaller denier yarn 181.

FIGS. 35-38 show another yarn lease reed 182 which is similar to reed 171 except that its disks 183 are bent at the edges so that the slant effect of the disks is obtained even though the central portion of the disks are perpendicular to the axis of the shaft.

FIGS. 39-42 show another yarn reed 184 which is similar to reed 182 except that the disks 185 are integral with 6 the shaft' 172, reed 184 having been manufactured by milling it from a solid circular bar whose diameter is equal to the diameter of disk 185.

In any of the disk type reeds, a flattening bar may be provided and positioned above the reed and in contact with the yarns to insure that the yarns makes contact shaft 172.

FIG. 43 shows a disk type reed 171 positioned between crimp rolls 41, 42, and back-up rolls 51, 52, 53, 54. Reed 171 may be mounted on brackets 118 as is reed 47 of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 44 and 45 show another yarn guide reed 191. This reed has a comb-like structure and includes a back member 192, teeth 193 extending from back member 192, and shafts 194 which are extensions of back member 192. Shafts 194 are slideably mounted in split bearings 195 and are positioned by set collars 196. Split bearings 195 are slideable in slide blocks 197 and are positioned by screws 198. Yarn guide reed 191 may be positioned to accommodate larged denier yarns by sliding bearings 195 in slide blocks 197. The teeth 193 may have the configuration shown in FIG. 45 or they may have the pointed configuration shown in FIG. 46.

FIGS. 47 and 48 show another yarn guide reed 201 which is a plate having teeth 202 and slots 203. Reed 201 is slideably attached to reed supporting member 204 which is mounted in split bearings 205. Set collars 206 serve for positioning the reed, and clamp screws 207, threaded into backing member 204, provide for adjustment to accommodate yarns of various denier.

FIGS. 49-53 show another yarn guide reed 211. Reed 211 is provided with an upper bar 212 having teeth 214 and a lower adjoining bar 215 having teeth 217. Slide brackets 218 at both ends of the reed are anchored to lower bar 215 and are slideably engaged within grooves 219 in the top of upper bar 212. Brackets 218 are slotted to receive bolts 221 which extend from upper bar 212. Knurled clamp knobs 222 engage bolts 221 and provide for fixing the laterally shifted lower bar 215 relative to upper bar 212. Stop pins 23 are fixed to upper bar 212 and serve to limit the extent of movement of slide brackets 218.

FIGS. 51 and 52 are views in front elevation that demonstrate the operation of yarn guide reed 211. FIG. 51 shows the position of bars 212 and 215 before adjustment, and FIG. 52 show their position after adjustment to positively position the yarns. Reed 211 accommodates any size yarn whose diameter is equal to or less than the distance between the adjoining teeth of bars 212, 215. FIG. 53 shows an alternate form of lower bar 224 including pins 225 mounted in the bar.

It has been found that crimp rolls of small diameter which are backed up by back-up rolls as herein described do a better job than previous crimping apparatus and do so at considerably less expense since the smaller rolls are easier to machine to the accuracy required in crimp rolls. Another advantage of this apparatus is that the yarns are delivered to the crimp rolls and are uniformly spaced apart, the spacing being controllable by the controllable yarn guide reeds which accommodate different sizes of yarn. The yarn guide reeds eliminate wandering and overlapping of the yarns. The back-up rolls eliminate bowing of the crimp rolls and thereby eliminate non-uniform flattening of the yarns. The crimp rolls flatten the yarns uniformly over their entire length.

While the-yarn guide and the yarn guide and leasing have herein been shown and described in connection with crimping apparatus, they are not to be considered limited to such application alone since by suitable modifications within the scope of the appended claims they are equally adaptable to other types of textile machines such as Warpers, slashers and the like. The yarn guides can also be adapted to and used in any machinery where precision spacing is required for strands, strips or bands.

Although the invention has been described with ref aoe'naeo erence to various specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that various modifications may be made, that equivalent elements may be substituted for those illustrated and described, that parts may be reversed and that certain features of the invention may be used independently of the use of other features. For example, if the yarn guide reeds 137 and 155 are to be used to also perform a leasing function, the reeds need only be provided with stop blocks positioned in alternate dents. Moreover, the backup rolls may be used in pairs as shown in the drawings, or a multiplicity of back-up rolls may be used. Other parts of the apparatus may similarly be modified, provided the remaining arrangement and combination of parts is within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a machine for crimping a plurality of individual yarns, the combination which comprises a pair of driven nip rolls for said yarns, spacing means arranged immediately in advance of said rolls in the direction of travel of the yarn, said spacing means having a plurality of substantially uniformly spaced separating elements for accommodation of individual yarns, said separating elements being disposable at least in part in planes oblique to the direction of travel of said yarn therethrough, and means for adjusting said separating elements to space the yarns uniformly apart from one another, regardless of denier, at a location immediately adjacent to the place of entry of said yarns into the nip of said rolls.

2. In yarn crimping apparatus having a pair of driven hard surfaced nip rolls between which multiple yarns are passed side by side in laterally spaced relation, means for uniformly spacing said yarns arranged immediately in advance of said nip rolls in the direction of travel of said yarns, a pair of hard surfaced substantially co-extensive backing rolls circumferentially engaged @with each nip roll, and regulatable spring means influential upon one pair of the backing rolls to yieldingly urge the correspondingnip rolltoward the other nip roll and thereby cause the yarns to be flattened under pressure as they pass between said nip rolls.

3. In a yarn crimping apparatus, the combination comprising a pair of driven nip rolls between which plural yarns are passed side by side, means forming a chamber for crimping the yarns passing from between said nip rolls, spacing means in the form of a reed disposed immediately in advance of said rolls and having substantially uniformly spaced separating elements settting apart dents for guidance of the individual yarns, said separating elements being disposable at least in part in planes oblique to the direction of travel of said yarn therebetween, and means for adjusting the separating elements of the reed to position the yarns so that their axes are at an equal distance from each other, regardless of denier, at the point of entry into the nip rolls.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the separating elements are blades which are swingable about pivotally supported axes, and wherein the adjusting means include means for turning the blades about their axes for guidance of yarns into the nip of said nip rolls.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the spacing means is in the form of a comb with tapered teeth constituting separators, and wherein the adjusting means includes slides to which the comb is secured at opposite ends was to be shiftable at right angles to the plane of travel of the yarns in adapting it for proper guidance of yarns incident to entry of the yarns between said nip rolls.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the spacing means is in the form of a comb with uniformly spaced tapered teeth constituting the separators, wherein the comb is supported on a fixed bar, and wherein the adjusting means include cla'mp screws with their shanks passed through transverse slots adjacent opposite ends of the comb to permit the comb to be shifted at right angles to the plane of travel of the yarns and thereby adapt the spacing means for proper guidance of yarns of different denier into the nip of said nip rolls.

7. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the guide means is a reed and comprises a pair of comb-like bars respectively provided with uniformly spaced straight teeth constituting the separating elements, and wherein the adjusting means includes means for longitudinally shifting one of the bars relative to the other to adapt the reed for proper guidance of yarns of different deniers enroute to the nip of the nip rolls.

8. In an apparatus for crimping yarns, the combination which comprises a pair of parallel hard surfaced nip rolls, spaced pairs of back-up rolls, each pair of which contacts one of said nip rolls, said back-up rolls being larger in diameter than said nip rolls, at least two of said back-up rolls being spaced from one another forming a space providing access to the nip of said nip rolls, means for urging at least one of said pairs of said back-up rolls toward another thereby pressing said nip rolls together, and yarn guiding means located adjacent to said nip rolls and located in the space between said back-up rolls.

9. In a yarn crimping apparatus, the combination which comprises a pair of driven hard surfaced nip rolls arranged with their axes lying in a common plane, a pair of substantially co-extensive hard surfaced back-up rolls each contacting one of said nip rolls at one side of said plane, a pair of back-up rolls each contacting one of said nip rolls at the other side of said plane, means urging at least one of said pairs of said back-up rolls toward said nip and thereby urging said nip rolls together, and textile guiding means located adjacent the nip of said nip rolls in a position intermediate two of said back-up rolls.

10. In a textile crimping machine for crimping a multiplicity of flexible elongated textiles, the combination comprising a pair of driven hard surfaced rolls forming a nip, a plurality of substantially co-extensive larger backup rolls contacting said nip rolls at opposite sides of said nip with space provided between said back-up rolls, means urging said back-up rolls on one side of said nip toward said back-up rolls on the opposite side thereof thereby urging said nip rolls toward one another, and textile guide means extending into the space between said back-up rolls for guiding the textiles into said nip.

11. The machine according to claim 10, wherein said guide means is wholly outside the space between said nip rolls but wholly within the space between said back-up rolls.

12. The machine according to claim 11, wherein said guide means is swingably mounted for movement about an axis which is located inside the space between said back-up rolls.

13. The machine defined in claim 12, wherein the axis about which the guide means is swingable is located outside the space between the nip rolls.

14. In a machine for crimping a plurality of individual yarns, the combination which comprises a pair of driven nip rolls for said yarns, guide means arranged immediately in advance of said rolls in the direction of travel of the yarn, said guide means having a plurality of substantially uniformly spaced separating elements for accommodation of individual yarns and means for adjusting said separating elements to space the yarns uniformly apart from one another regardless of denier at a location immediately adjacent the place of entry of said yarn into the nip of said rolls, and additional yarn separating means located in advance of the guide means in the direction of travel of the yarn and operative to displace segments of alternate yarns laterally in one direction relative to corresponding segments of intervening textiles to form a shed for insertion therein of a leasing thread, and thereafter to displace the segments of the alternate yarns in the opposite direction to the corresponding segments of the intervening yarns to form a reverse shed for insertion therein of another leasing thread.

15. In a yarn crimping apparatus, the combination comprising a pair of driven nip rolls between which plural yarns are passed side by side, means forming a chamber for crimping the yarns passing from between said nip rolls, guide means in the form of a reed having substantially uniformly spaced separating elements setting apart dents for guidance of the individual yarns, and means for adjusting the separating elements of the reed to position the yarns so that their axes are at an equal distance from each other, regardless of denier, at the point of entry into the nip rolls, and further means located in advance of the guide means in the direction of travel of the yarn operative to displace segments of alternate yarns laterally in one direction relative to corersponding segments of intervening yarns to form a shed for insertion therein of a leasing thread, and thereafter to displace the segments of the alternate yarns in the opposite direction to the corresponding segments of the intervening yarns to form a reverse shed for insertion therein of another leasing thread.

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